Ken packed up the remaining lamb skewers and brought them back to Universe 6 for Vados to try. Just as he'd expected, she loved them.
And with that, the whole affair with Moro finally came to an end.
From the start, Ken's main reason for getting involved had been to give Merus the opportunity to raise his level. Before Ken ever became an Angel himself, Merus had helped him tremendously, and Ken had never forgotten that debt. Now that he finally had a chance to repay some of it, there was no reason to hold back.
Helping Goku complete true Ultra Instinct along the way was simply an added bonus.
...
Several days passed.
At Zeno's Palace, the two Zenos were sitting together over a game board, playing with pieces modeled after the twelve universes.
"Got it! I took Universe 7!" Zeno-sama announced happily.
"Ah... that's bad." Future Zeno stared down at the board, deep in thought. "I've only got five universes left."
He picked up another piece, but instead of moving it right away, he hovered it over the board as he considered his options.
"I've got five too," Zeno-sama said.
The two looked at each other.
"Don't you think there are a little too many universes?" Zeno-sama suddenly asked.
Future Zeno gave the matter some thought before nodding. "Yeah. Maybe there are."
"With this many, isn't it harder to keep track of everything? It might even cause problems for the whole space-time."
"That happened in my timeline," Future Zeno said, his expression turning serious. "There were so many universes that Zamasu was able to run around doing whatever he wanted. If there were fewer of them, they'd be easier to manage, and we'd notice much faster whenever something went wrong."
"That makes sense." Zeno-sama turned toward the Grand Priest. "Hey, Grand Priest. How are the twelve universes doing right now?"
"Universe 1 still possesses the highest overall mortal level," the Grand Priest replied. "Universe 12 has been developing rapidly and has now risen to second place. There have been no particularly notable changes among the remaining universes. Taken as a whole, however, the overall level may actually be declining."
"So they're not improving at all." Zeno-sama nodded as though the answer had settled the matter. "Then maybe we don't need twelve universes."
"The universes in my timeline were declining too," Future Zeno agreed. "Then Zamasu caused all that trouble, and in the end they were all erased."
"Okay, then let's reduce the number of universes."
The two guards standing nearby visibly tensed at how casually the decision had been made.
"Yeah," Future Zeno said. "Four should be enough."
"Then we'll erase all the low-level universes!"
"Understood." The Grand Priest showed no objection. "In that case, I will summon the Angels from each universe."
With a soft snap, his staff appeared in his hand. He was just about to contact the Angels through the crystal when he suddenly paused, a smile appearing on his face.
"Oh? It seems we have a visitor."
"A visitor?" Both Zenos looked over curiously. "Who?"
"I believe it's Goku. I'll bring him in."
Neither Zeno objected.
As it happened, the two Zenos had already grown tired of playing with the Supreme Kais from Universe 7 and Universe 10 and had finally allowed them to return home. Before letting them go, however, they had given both Supreme Kais a very stern lecture.
If either of them caused trouble again, merely being used as a horse would be the least of their worries.
This time had only been a warning. They were expected to do their jobs properly from now on.
The Grand Priest soon returned with Goku, who immediately raised a hand and waved enthusiastically at the two Zenos.
"Oh! Goku!" Zeno-sama greeted him with a huge smile.
"Looks like you two are getting along great." Goku grinned, then suddenly remembered the two Supreme Kais who had been here before. "Hey, where'd those two go?"
"Who?" Zeno-sama asked.
Goku thought about it for all of a second before shrugging. "Eh, never mind. It's not important."
Zeno-sama didn't bother asking again. If it wasn't important, there was no reason to worry about it.
Had the two Supreme Kais still been present, that exchange probably would have hurt far more than anything both Zenos had already put them through.
They were Supreme Kais, after all.
Were they really that forgettable?
"Goku, did you come here to play with me?" Zeno-sama asked eagerly.
"Sort of." Goku scratched his head. "I don't remember which one of you was the Zenny I made the promise with, but we talked about holding a martial arts tournament with all the universes, remember? What's happening with that? I've been waiting forever!"
"Ah..." Zeno-sama suddenly remembered. "I forgot."
"Hahaha! I knew it!"
Future Zeno turned toward him. "If we erase those universes first, we won't be able to hold the tournament."
"Oh. That's true."
Goku blinked. "Huh? What are you talking about?"
"Nothing you need to worry about," the Grand Priest replied with his usual pleasant smile.
"Then let's hold it right away!" Zeno-sama decided.
Goku hadn't expected the answer to come that easily. "Really? You're quick! So when are we starting?"
Zeno-sama looked toward the Grand Priest. "When should we do it?"
"The universes will need at least some time to prepare." The Grand Priest considered it briefly. "Five tiks from now should be suitable."
"Okay! Five tiks it is!"
Goku stared blankly.
That meant absolutely nothing to him.
"Uh... how long is that?"
"You are from the planet called Earth in Universe 6, correct?" the Grand Priest asked.
"Yeah."
"Then by Earth's measurement of time, roughly forty hours."
"Forty hours?!" Goku's eyes widened. "That's way sooner than I thought!"
He immediately started toward the exit, waving over his shoulder.
"Got it! I've gotta hurry back and get ready!"
"Please wait." The Grand Priest stopped him before he could leave. "I must first summon Ken, Broly, Vados, Champa, and the other gods so that everyone can be informed of the tournament. Remain here for just a moment."
"But we've only got forty hours!" Goku scratched his head, already looking restless.
"This will not take long."
The Grand Priest raised one hand, and his staff appeared once again.
Goku paused and stared at it. He couldn't remember ever seeing the Grand Priest use one before.
It looked a lot like Ken's.
"Angels of every universe, this is the Grand Priest. Please respond."
His voice was transmitted through the staff's crystal, reaching every Angel at once.
Ken's staff received the call as well.
...
Universe 6, Earth.
After the Moro incident ended, Ken had returned to Earth and resumed living at Bulma's place while continuing to refine his Angel power.
His training hadn't been wasted. In just this short period, his level had risen once again, climbing from level 85 to level 86.
For practically anyone else, that kind of progress would have been absurdly fast.
Ken wasn't satisfied.
As far as he was concerned, he was still leveling far too slowly.
If the other Angels ever found out how easily he was gaining levels while he complained about the pace, it was probably better not to imagine how they would react.
[End of chapter]